Fujian Institute of Research on the Structure of Matter (FJIRSM) was founded in 1960 by LU Jiaxi, famous scientist, educator and member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS). The institute is an influential, comprehensive research base in structural chemistry and new crystal materials.

Since the launch of the CAS Knowledge Innovation Program in 2001, FJIRSM has focused on structural chemistry, energy catalysis, nanomaterials, crystal engineering, photoelectric materials, laser technology integration and applications, electronic information, advanced manufacturing and power engineering. It emphasizes research, technological innovation and industrialization in a mutually supportive way.

FJIRSM employs 533 people, including 415 S&T professionals and 58 support personnel. The institute’s staff includes two CAS members, one member of The Third World Academy of Sciences, 81 professors or equivalently ranked engineers, and 96 associate professors or the equivalent. In addition, 15 researchers are supported by the National Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars. A total of 289 employees now work in innovation-related posts.

Since its establishment, FJIRSM has recorded 230 major achievements in basic research, high-tech innovation or project industrialization. The institute has won 26 key awards including six National Science and Technology Awards, four CAS Technology Advancement Special Awards and two National Technology Invention Awards.

FJIRSM is among the first institutions in China approved to grant Ph.D and master’s degrees. It offers Ph.D. programs in chemistry, condensed matter physics, material physics and chemistry, and biochemistry and molecular biology. It offers master’s programs in material engineering, bioengineering, optical engineering, and chemical engineering. It also has a postdoctoral program in chemistry.

In June 2010, CAS signed an agreement with the Fujian Provincial Government and Fuzhou Municipality to jointly build the Haixi Institutes of CAS. FJIRSM became the core of the new organization. In the future, the Haixi Institutes will include three new institutes devoted respectively to material engineering, advanced manufacturing technology integration and power engineering, as well as a cross-strait S&T cooperation center. These organizations will respectively focus on new materials, laser devices, automobile dynamics, and academic exchange between Taiwan and China’s Mainland.

FJIRSM has excellent research facilities. Since 2001, the institute has invested 85.8 million yuan in equipment. Currently, the institute has about 4,900 pieces of research equipment with a total value of more than 100 million yuan.

The Chinese Journal of Structural Chemistry (catalogued by SCI, in both Chinese and English versions) is a monthly journal published by FJIRSM. It has an impact factor of 0.548. The institute’s library has more than 45,000 books and more than 13 million articles from more than 400 periodicals including electronic versions.